The Grenada gazette., 1887-09-24

IS * " " q M e \, wv 80 Ea{
] tiles ascriboi to tho wonderful me m
bers Of that family.
Il That Aunt Lavinia hos had . story
in her day have often surmiied. bu
I never could be quite sure Of II until
returned from my visit to Minna Row
land. OF course Ralph Hcreford''
name could not help occurring otter
in my accounts Of my visit Though
1t was = little hard for me to speak it
Twas by no means prepared for th'
sensation which it caused. Aun
Lavinia dropped her work with
sudden gasp. while Aunt Nancy
clutched her needles more firmly and
glared ut mo in silence. As for me,
looked from one to the other in mute
dismay. Then, shortly and curtly.
Aunt Nancy told me the old story
that thirty years ago Ralph's father
had been engaged to Aunt Lavinia.
but had broken the engagement for
the sake of faircr face. She bade me
never mention Ralph again; but Of
course that is nonsense Ralph and |
may not meet for the present but
there is long future before us.
Aunt Lavinia is of a softer fiber than
her sister. Aunt Nancy having once
loved y man would either love or hate
him forever. All are not alike, fortu.
nately, and to Aunt Lavinia the things
that happened so long ago are vague
and dim as a dream. She may hste
loved and suffered truly and deeply in
the past. but to-day, think. il seems
to her rs if the heroine of that old story
had been another and not herself. Yet
she is still tender-hearted enough to
wish that my love-tale should run
smooth. Perhaps l went to work at
tho wrong end, and should have tried
to enlist Aunt Nancy upon my side
first; but what is done is done. and
there is no use ''crying over split milk.
For the present must just let things
alone l suppose and trust to their
coming right in time. OF course Ralph
and l correspond, but for any thing
else we must just wait.
We generally 60 to bed early in the
cottage, and l have been asleep for
some time when / am awakened by a
sound of weird and unearthly music.
Ralph has often bemoaned himself
over my lack of ear. but at least l
know enough to be quite sure that the
sounds are produced by no instrument
which l ever heard before.
''It must be screnadc," I think,
drowsily.
Then start broad awake, realizing
suddenly that only one person in the
world would take the trouble to sere-
made me, and that have every reason
to suppose him to be miles away.
ut must be bagpipes," I think. in a
dazed sort of way. I have never
heard them. but l know they are weird
and mcanny. The tune. too. is one
that Ihave never heard before. Indeed.
as ! listen more closely, l doubt
whether there Is any tune at all.
Wagnerl Yes. that is it. Ralph is
serenading me upon the bagpipes with
selections from Wagner. He was
always anxious that l should hear
some of the Emusic Of the future" and
has taken this way. 1t is a strange
idea, perhaps. but people will do
strange things now and then. II only |
Aunt Nancy and Aunt Lavinia
do not hear it! They would certainly |
think him quite mad, and all hopes of y
smooth settlement OF our difficulties |
would be over. I dare not open the
window lest they should hear it, and
without doing so ! can see nothing. So
| lie awake listening until the music
ceases, and Ralph has gone away dis
couraged.
Aunt Nancy is late for break fast. In
all the years which have spent in the
cottage can not remember that such
\ thing has ever happened before.
We have been waiting full fifteen min
ntes when she makes her appearance.
Aunt Lavinia and have little to say
10 each other in the interval. l am
too much about Ralph to
talk, and Aunt Lavina often has silent
its. When Aunt Nancy comes down
1t last she is pale, and there are dark
circles under her eyes. She acknowl.
,dges to headache and disturbed
light. Aunt Lavinia looks at her visit
ully. She, too. is pale, but l can not
ell whether or not her pallor is caused
~ Aunt Nancy's unprecedented ac-
snowlcdsment Of indisposition,
All day am thinking of Ralph,
starting at every ring of the door.bsll,
staring at every one who passes the
or whom / meet in my walks.
surely II it were he who sercnaded
ne--and who else could it be?-
must see or hear of him in the
'ourse of the day. But the hours
glide hy and evening comes. and still I
10 Ralph appears. Tliurs is positively
nothing out Of the ordinary course.
Except that Aunt Nancy lies. silent and
upon the lounge. with her
ives shaded from the liDht. while